Tennessee football: Oddsmakers still show Vols no respect vs. Florida

Tennessee football is getting no respect against Florida. The Gators are 0-1 and have nine players suspended but are still favored over the Volunteers.

Given Tennessee football’s history agains the Florida Gators, it’s understandable why it might be hard to respect them in any game in the series. Las Vegas seems to think that way, and it is manifesting itself in this week’s odds.

Tennessee opened up an eight and a half point underdog against Florida, per Sports Book Review. That line came despite the fact that the Vols were 2-0 and Florida was 0-1 with a hideous loss to the Michigan Wolverines.

However, the line began to shrink during the week, and it eventually got to five. But that’s not where the disrespect is evident.

The disrespect became evident after Jim McElwain offered no updates on the Gators’ nine suspended players, which indicates they won’t play Saturday.

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With an 0-1 record and then more news that numerous key players would be out for Florida Saturday, the line moved…wait for it…a half a point.

Yep, Florida is now a four and a half point favorite over the Vols in most lines. And there are only two things to base that off of.

One is that they are hosting the game in The Swamp. So home-field advantage could be moving the line. However, the other is Tennessee football’s history against Florida.

After all, when you consider everything else, the Vols should probably be the favorites in this game.

They haven’t looked great, but they are 2-0. And Florida’s 33-17 loss to Michigan was actually a lot uglier than it looked.

But this is nothing new for the Vols. In 2001, they were 18-point underdogs at Florida in the most infamous line in school history.

Remember, that year the game was moved to Dec. 1 due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Tennessee entered the game 9-1 with its ranking ranging from No. 4 to No. 6 depending on the poll.

Florida, meanwhile, was also 9-1 and No. 2 in the country. The two teams played relatively similar schedules.

But somehow, that day in The Swamp, consensus was that Florida would win in a blowout. Of course, the Vols shocked the world by winning that game, but it should not have been shocking at all.

The line was simply ridiculous.

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Now, though, they’re doing the same thing again. Although it’s not an 18-point line, it doesn’t make sense for Tennessee football to be an underdog in this game. Too many things are working against Florida. But that gives the Vols a chance to go out and take respect, just like they did 16 years ago.

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